Traveling questions - Please share your wisdom!
 

Hello there! Thanks for reading (and sorry I ramble a bit :)

We are planning our first car trip in a week, with our 18 month old Yorkie who has been part of our family for a month! We take regular trips to the beach in warmer months of the year, and we hope this will be the first of her joining us for many good times!

I'm nervous (did I mention obsessed) but also excited and optimistic. When Chichi came to us, her previous owner told me she was a nervous traveler who got car sick (and had probably only been in the car a few times in her life). She was sick the first time we traveled together, and she was in her crate, which was secure but maybe too spacious for the car as she slid around a bit.

After that, I got her a more enclosed carrier (the size that would probably fit two cats) and she seems better, somewhat nervous, whines for a bit until she finally settles down, but no vomiting (most drives have been about the same length and there have been at least a dozen in the last three weeks). We have spent time in the car playing around, so she now jumps into the car herself and gets into the crate when I ask her to.

So, now we're about to take a week for vacation, which will include 3 car drives (ranging from 7-4 hours) and a few ferry rides (and maybe a trip in a kayak if she's interested). We have another, big dog who comes too, she's 10 and a seasoned traveler.

With this little baby, I am going to be traveling with more accessories than if I had children. Am I nuts? We will have her usual crate for our cottage (her little den, where she is fed and confined at home when the two dogs can't be supervised), the travel crate for the car and now I just found out about car/console seats where they can be tethered for safety but more out in the open to look around, receive love and pets while traveling (from the passenger of course :). That sounds kind of awesome too. What do others do or recommend?

I also saw the vet today to have medication to give her just in case she really gets distressed and needs something to calm her. I doubt that will happen, but she will be experiencing many new things! We plan to stop during our drives for breaks and keep her with us as much as we can. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks so much for reading/sharing your thoughts!

I'm afraid I have only traveled a 2 1/2 hour distance with Princess Sophie so far and we made one stop where she got to romp in the grass (on a leash) and drink some water. She didn't need to potty but I did bring her into the ladies room at the rest stop with a potty pad but she was too interested in everything else to do anything.

Because it was an overnight trip, I too felt like I was packing for two or three kids. LOL Other than that, I really don't know much about traveling just yet.

I hope you have a safe and enjoyable trip. Be sure to take lots of pictures and share them with us when you get back.

I bring baby wipes, Nature's Miracle, paper towels, few extra blankets, favorite toys, food, treats, water, travel dishes, first aid kit, extra harness and leash,and tags on her harness. also make sure she is microchipped, you have a copy of her health records, a picture of her in case she gets lost. I also find out the nearest vet to where you are going to be including emergency vet.

They make wonderful wipeable seat covers that work well for pups that get sick. Don't forget trash sacks, paper towels, and wet wipes. I also bring the water the pups are use to drinking, as different tap water can cause tummy upset. A chewy toy might be helpful too, to occupy Chichi's mind. Sun blocker window clings may be useful to keep the sun off the pups during certain times of the day. Anti-nausea meds and Nutracal are always good to have on hand, as well as benadryl liquid. My one pup walked near a fire ant nest last week while we were traveling from the Florida Keys to Maryland (22 hour drive). She wasn't bitten, but my mom was. It was awful and scary. An allergic reaction could have killed my dog. The same could apply to insect bites and bee stings. You are correct. On road trips I pack as much for the dogs as I use to for my four children when they were small. It was so much stuff, I thought I'd need a U-Haul-It. Happy Trails to you all.

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions!
We are traveling with the whole house, but the car trip was great. I saw the vet before we left and she gave us medication to give her for the ride. I was nervous about it, but she was getting anxious when we were packing so we gave her the smallest possible dose. It mellowed her out and she slept, but she wasn't overly sedated. And, she didn't vomit! Yay! This was a long trip, 7 hours at least in the car. We found that the console carrier worked great, but it had to be boosted up in the SUV.
At our destination (the beach) she has been happy and doing great, walking in town and on the beach, going into shops, making friends, wearing t-shirts and even sitting with us in outdoor restaurants for meals and showing off her great manners!
Thank goodness we can take her mostly everywhere, because she doesn't like to be left alone in the room :)
Thanks again for your great ideas!

Can you give yorkies Benadryl liquid? If so, what amount?
THX

Thundershirt?
 

I don't know about Benadryl liquid. I'm sure someone here does!

Our dog's vet (her previous owner's vet, not ours actually) gave us Acepromazine, 2.5 mg. It's a tablet split into quarters, which is crazy small. I don't particularly like this class of medications (the 'zines' are basically major tranquilizers) so I'd like to not use it. She is only a little sleepy on it, but more than I'd like.

We need to do something though. We can take short trips without meds, 30-60 minutes is a breeze. 2 weeks ago, we took a 90 minute drive and she was fine the whole way and then threw up literally just as we arrived. She didn't throw up on the way home though, oddly enough.

This weekend, we will be going about 4 hours away and we are going to try the Thundershirt. This is a trip we take often, so it would be great to have an alternative. I'll post afterwards about how it went, lol.

Yes, you can give Benadryl to a Yorkie.

When Princess Sophie came home after her spay surgery, she was rubbing her head all around on the carpet. I checked her ears, nothing there, checked through her head hair and found nothing. Called the vet and was told that sometimes dogs will do that after surgery. I think she said it had something to do with the anesthesia. I could be wrong. Well, long story short, she told me I needed to give her 5 ml of liquid benadryl which would stop the itching. Otherwise, she would move from rubbing her head on the carpet to scratching her head leading to more problems.

Note: Princess Sophie weighs 4 lbs. 13 oz.

I would recommend you check with your vet regarding how much you could safely give your pup determined by their weight.

Good luck, I hope your pup feels better very soon!!